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Vera Whole Health

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“While a sound move forward, transparency, as currently contemplated, is a long way from solving the issue. We have started to crawl in what will be a marathon.” — Why Healthcare Price 'Transparency' Is A Myth, And What Consumers Can Do About It, Forbes Healthcare pricing transparency has always been a challenge for patients, who often receive treatments without a clear picture of what those treatments will cost. Recent initiatives by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) are aimed at increasing transparency. The end goal is to create a market where patients can compare pricing at different healthcare providers, and make an informed decision about where they receive care.Read More

Last year, we released a white paper about the City of Kirkland’s experience placing an on-site clinic at the center of their benefit strategies. A year later, their journey is more relevant than ever. Continued uncertainty around the ACA, ever-rising healthcare costs, and a growing demand for alternative healthcare solutions are pushing employers to reconsider their benefit strategies. If you're tired of reimagining your benefit strategy every year, of shifting costs, of cutting benefits, consider the City of Kirkland’s story. Think about how an on- or near-site clinic can help you break free of traditional healthcare.Read More

“A $5,571 bill to sit in a waiting room, $238 eyedrops, and a $60 ibuprofen tell the story of how emergency room visits are squeezing patients.” I read 1,182 emergency room bills this year. Here’s what I learned, Vox It’s no secret ... one visit to the ER can empty your wallet and your bank account. That's the experience of so many patients — treatments leading to bills totaling thousands of dollars. But as VOX writer Sara Kiff has uncovered, those bills don’t always add up.Read More

“Older Americans have been flocking to Medicare’s private plans, which promise predictable costs and extra benefits.” — Trump Administration Peppers Inboxes With Plugs for Private Medicare Plans, The New York TimesRead More

Vera Whole Health has appointed Kevin Wang, M.D., as its new Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Wang will use the last 16 plus years of his experience to support the expansion of Vera’s advanced primary care model through direct-to-employer on-site clinics.Read More

Every day we see more proof of forward-thinking employers taking the issue of rising healthcare costs into their own hands. Some of the creative solutions we're hearing about are amazing — driving real innovation in healthcare. And the results? Improved outcomes and reduced costs.Read More

Healthcare is changing. An increasing number of employers are bucking the trends of rising costs by positioning an on- or near-site clinic at the center of their benefits strategy. This post from last year tells the story of how The City of Kirkland took control to reduce their healthcare costs and improve employee health. Here's a snippet: In 2015, the City of Kirkland had reached a breaking point. Healthcare costs were skyrocketing. Every year it was getting harder and harder to provide their employees with the care they deserved at a cost they could afford. They had to flatten their cost trend, but they were unwilling to compromise on benefits for their employees. Working with Keith Robertson of Alliant Insurance, they began looking for an innovative benefits plan that would meet those two requirements.Read More

Why are health insurers investing more in how primary care is delivered? It’s a great question. And one we’re thankful two of our amazing clients had the chance to answer when recently asked by AIS Health.Read More

“Faced with crippling insurance premium hikes, the city of Arvada, Colorado, made a big decision to restructure its benefit offerings to be self-insured.” — The secret to a city’s big savings on employee healthcare, Employee Benefit News When Mark Deven became the City Manager of Arvada, Colorado, his team was up against a serious healthcare problem. Chronic conditions were driving up premiums for city employees every year, with no end in sight. For Deven and the city, the solution to rising costs was an on-site clinic. Here’s how they did it.Read More

If you're an HR leader, then you know the challenges of juggling multiple third-party healthcare vendors. Managing vendors, keeping employees informed about varying services — keeping it all together to deliver a cohesive, effective benefits package is extremely difficult.Read More